1. John Amos was best known for his role as Captain Meissner in Lock Up and Major Grant in Die Hard 2.
38 Facts About John Amos
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John Amos is known as the adult Kunta Kinte in the landmark miniseries Roots and for portraying James Evans Sr.
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John Amos grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, and graduated from East Orange High School in 1958.
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John Amos attended Long Beach Community College and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in sociology; he played for both schools' football teams.
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In 1964, John Amos signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos.
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John Amos played for various teams during his career, the Canton Bulldogs, Joliet Chargers, Norfolk Neptunes, Wheeling Ironmen, Jersey City Jets, Waterbury Orbits, and the Victoria Steelers.
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In 1967, John Amos signed a free agent contract with the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs.
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John Amos became first known in 1971 when he appeared with Anson Williams in a commercial for McDonald's.
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John Amos is best known for his portrayal of James Evans Sr.
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John Amos had previously appeared in the same role three times on the sitcom Maude before continuing it in 61 episodes of Good Times.
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John Amos notably criticized what he felt was too much of an emphasis on Jimmie Walker's character JJ and a lesser regard for the other two Evans children.
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In 1977, John Amos starred in the ABC-TV Miniseries Roots, as the adult Kunta Kinte, based on the book by author Alex Haley.
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John Amos played an Archie Bunker-style character in the 1994 sitcom 704 Hauser, a modern spin-off of All in the Family, but it was canceled after only five episodes.
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John Amos portrayed Captain Dolan on the TV show Hunter from 1984 to 1985.
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John Amos co-starred in the CBS police drama The District.
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John Amos was a frequent guest on The West Wing, portraying Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, who serves as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for most of the show.
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John Amos played Buzz Washington in the ABC series Men in Trees.
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John Amos co-starred with Anthony Anderson in the short-lived TV series All About the Andersons from 2003 to 2004.
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In 2010, John Amos appeared as recurring character Ed on Two and a Half Men, and in 2016 as another recurring character, named Ed, on the Netflix sitcom The Ranch.
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John Amos guest-starred in a number of other television shows, including Police Story, The A-Team, The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, Martin as Sgt.
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John Amos appeared as a spokesman for the Cochran Firm.
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John Amos wrote and produced Halley's Comet, a critically acclaimed one-man play that he performed around the world.
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John Amos was featured in Disney's The World's Greatest Athlete with Tim Conway and Jan-Michael Vincent in his first starring film role, and starred as Kansas City Mack in Let's Do It Again with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier.
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John Amos appeared in the 1995 film For Better or Worse and played a police officer in The Players Club.
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John Amos played Uncle Virgil in My Baby's Daddy, and starred as Jud in Dr Dolittle 3.
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In 2012, John Amos had a role in the movie Madea's Witness Protection, as Jake's father.
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John Amos appeared in Ice Cube and Dr Dre's 1994 video for "Natural Born Killaz".
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In 2021, John Amos starred in Because of Charley, as the patriarch of an estranged step-family riding out Hurricane Charley, the hurricane which tore through Florida in 2004.
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John Amos broke new ground for Black America and he was a father figure for all of America.
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John Amos was a veteran of the 50th Armored Division of the New Jersey National Guard and Honorary Master Chief of the United States Coast Guard.
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John Amos lived for many years in Tewksbury Township, New Jersey.
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In 2023, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation looked into accusations that John Amos had been the victim of elder abuse.
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John Amos left Colorado that same year, taking up residency in Los Angeles.
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John Amos died of congestive heart failure at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, California, on August 21,2024, at the age of 84.
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John Amos's death was not announced until October 1,2024.
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John Amos's body was cremated nine days after his death.
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John Amos won three TV Land Awards for his roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Good Times, and Roots.
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In 2020, John Amos was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.